Turnpike sign



S. J. ZIMMY ETAL v TURNPIKE SIGN March 12, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 4, 1960 INVENTORS 63/ 7/1/171 6/0 16 FlG.i

ATTORNEY March 12, 1963 5. J. ZIMMY ET AL 3,080,669

TURNPIKE SIGN Filed May 4, 1 2 Sheets- Sheet 2 cl "my ATTORN EY United States Patent 3,08%,669 TURNPKKE SIGN Sidney J. Zimmy, Livingston, and Herman Green, West Orange, NJL, assignors to United Sign C0,, Newark, N..i., a corporation of New Jersey Filed May 4, 1960, Ser. No. 26,841 1 Claim. (CL 40-52) This invention relates to a turnpike sign which is readily adjustable by the booth operator to display composite message indicia for guidance of motorists.

Novel means are provided for selection and juxtapositioning of indicia in the sign and for selection of the desired indicia to define a composite message as, for example, to indicate rate of speed, road conditions, exit and interchange numbers and other composite messages at the face of the sign by action of the operator in a rapid and accurate fashion. The sign of this invention includes novel means for mounting and combining sign components and for adjusting them to register them to complete the desired sign messages to be displayed.

The foregoing and other objects will become apparent from a consideration of the invention as described below and in the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof wherein similar reference characters indicate similar parts and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a partly fragmentary front elevational view of a turnpike sign embodying the invention,

FIG. 2 is a perspective, exploded, schematic view of a motor-operated form of the sign, and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view of a control cable and panel which may be used in connection with the form of invention shown in H6. 2 and FIG. 4 is a partly fragmentary rear elevational view of the lower end of the casing and associated parts.

The drawings, illustrating devices useful in carrying out the invention, and the description below, are exemplary only of the invention, which shall be deemed to cover all other devices coming within the scope and purview of the appended claim.

Pursuant to the invention, one or more belts (a description of one will sulnce for all) 2-9 are mounted within a casing in spaced parallel relation to the front viewing wall of the casing, as (FIG. 2) by entraining said belts around a series of rollers 39, two of which are positioned in vertically spaced parallel relation to the front wall of the casing so as to display that portion of the belt intermediate said rollers, through an opening in the casing. The belts are provided with a series of indicia markings thereon for example, sequential second numerals, such as one to nine and zero-for display at the front of the casing and for composite reference to complementary first numeral indicia markings on a member 31 (FIG. 2) mounted in spaced relation to the belt as, for example, by ro-tatably journalling or pivoting said members 31 at 32 for selective rotation through shaft 35 which engages member 31 at a point spaced from its pivot point 32 (FIG. 2) to the full line position shown in FIG. 2 at which said member 31 and its indicia will not be visible through the opening 17 or to a second position (FIGS. 1 and 2) where it is visible through opening 17. The belt 29 is moved to selectively display the indicia thereon by the shaft 34 (FIGS. 4 and 2) fixed to a roller 3ft.

As Will become apparent, from a consideration of the drawings, movement of shaft 35 will rotate the member 31 into a position adjacent belt 29 (FIG. 2) or selectively to a position away therefrom. Thus the operator may, by actuation of shafts 34 and 35, move the belt to present the desired selected indicia-for examples, numbers l to 9 and zero, and may move the member 31 to cooperate with the belt for registry of numbers higher than nine. Other composite messages utilizing one or a lidhdgdh Patented Mar. 12, 1963 combination of members 31 and belt 2% may be thus displayed.

Actuation of shafts 34, 35 may 'be achieved by means passing through the casing and controllable from a position exteriorly thereof. The belts 29 may be actuated through shafts 34 (FIGS. 4, 2) keyed to the rollers 39 over which said belts are entrained and keyed to pinion 44 and meshing with pinion d6. Pinion 44 may. be fixed to an end of shaft 34 which passes through the casing and pinion 44 is enclosed preferably within one of the housings 45. Pinion 46 rot'atably journalled in the housing 45 meshes with pinion 44 and has keyed thereto and depend ing therefrom a post 47 (FIG. 4) similar to the post (FIG. 1) for the linkage for actuating said shaft 35, post 47 having a stud 48 to be engaged by a socket member or tool. Thus the operator may readily selectively rotate the posts 46 and 47 to register the desired indicia of the belts 29 and members 31 and for the display of the composite message at the front of the casing. One of the rollers 30 may be spring loaded to maintain the belt under tension and prevent slippage.

In addition to the members 29, 31 above described, the device may be provided with polygonal drums 59 (FIG. 2) rotatably journ'alled in the casing, keyed to shafts 57 fixed to pinions 51 which pass through the casing and project into a housing for meshing therein with a second pinion 52 (FIG. 1) the latter having fixed thereto and depending therefrom a post 53 having a stud 54 for engagement by a socket member or tool. Thus the operator may readily rotate the polygonal drums (which will (FIGS. 4 and 7) bear different indicia marking on the faces 55 thereof) to thereby selectively register the desired indicia drum faces with the front of the casing. For example, a drum may bear indicia indicating the speed limit and another drum may bear indicia designating the roadway and the drums at the lower portion of the casing may bear indicia such as interchange number and conditions of the road.

Shafts 35 and 34 for actuating the members 31 and roller 30 of belt 2h may be operated automatically instead of manually by (FIG. 2) keying said shafts to the armatures of motors 56. Likewise the shafts 57 to which the drums 50 are secured may be keyed to motors 56. The shafts 35 may be keyed to such motors through linkage such as 37, 36. Such motors may be selectively controlled by switches 53- d (FiGS. 2 and 3) controlling the flow of current from the power source 65 to the motors. Second switches such as 66, 67 and 68 may be provided and entrained for example, on the drums 59 to permit the flow of current only sufficient to rotate said drums for the are defined by a face of the drum. Such switches may, for example, be normally closed switches which open the motor circuit upon contact with the apex between two faces of a drum as, for example, shown in FIG. 2. In the case of the switches 59 and the opcrator may observe the rotation of the belt and members 29 and 31 and need simply release the switch S9 or 60 as soon as the indicia on the belt or member 29, 31 is visible at the front of the casing. A dwell may be provided as by linkage 37, 36 to facilitate prevention of movement of any member 31 beyond its truly registered position (Fl-KG. 2). Other actuating or switch means may be used in place of those above described.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A turnpike signal device comprising a casing having a front face, a nontransparent plate positioned at the front of the casing and having an indicia opening therein, said plate closing the front of the casing except for said open ing, a member carrying indicia thereon pivotally mounted within the casing for rotation in a plane parallel to the plane of the front of the casing for movement into regis- 3 4 try and out of registry with said opening, link actuating 1,752,122 Thieler Mar. 25, 1930 means for selectively pivoting said member, said link 1,840,692 Borowsky Jan. 12, 1932 actuating means engaging said member at a point spaced 1,841,893 Knight Jan. 19, 1932 from the pivot point thereof, a drive link pivotally con- 2,248,095 Lande July 8, 1941 nected to said link actuating means, an electric motor 5 2,290,822 Basso July 21, 1942 within said casing, said motor having its armature shaft 2,368,167 Sheram I an. 30, 1945 operatively connected to said drive link to selectively 2,577,663 Owens Dec. 4, 1951 swing said member about its pivot when the motor is 2,765,552 SchIafiy Oct. 9, 1956 actuated, and switch means connected to said motor and 2,791,0 7 Viskozki May 7, 1957 being actuable from a point outside of said casing. 10 2,852,767 Foller Sept. 16, 1958 n 2,935,806 Young May 10, 1960 References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS UNITED STATES PATENTS 132,126 Great Britain Sept. 11, 1919 884,575 Fox Apr. 14, 1908 578,603 Germany June 16, 1933 1,378,790 Hopkins May 17, 1921 15 725,807 Great Britain Mar. 9, 1955 

